Migrants Huddle in Riviera, Hoping to Cross Border

There are roughly 600 migrants and refugees in Ventimiglia, Italy, though the total fluctuates. A significant number live beneath an underpass in the town.

With cold weather setting in, fears are growing for the health of migrants and refugees camping out in the open in Ventimiglia, Italy.

A protest in support of the rights of migrants and refugees is held outside the Menton Garavan train station — the first stop in France for those attempting to cross by train from Ventimiglia, Italy.

A man runs across a motorway off the so-called Pass of Death in Italy, in an attempt to get into France. An Eritrean woman died on this stretch of road last year after being hit by a truck.

Father Rito Julio Alvarez, a local priest, had to stop housing refugees and migrants in his church Ventimiglia, Italy, after he received threatening letters.

Located in the Italian Riviera, picturesque Ventimiglia attracts many tourists.

Volunteers play an important role in helping refugees and migrants in Ventimiglia, Italy. A small “infopoint” offers them the chance to browse the internet and charge their phones.

A poem is plastered on the walls of an underpass that offers shelter to well over a hundred migrants and refugees in Ventimiglia, Italy.

Many people attempting to cross from Italy into France come from sub-Saharan African countries, including Eritrea and Sudan.

People wait in line at a food distribution point in Ventimiglia, Italy.

Taking the train from Italy into France is the least dangerous option for migrants and refugees, but many are caught by the police.

Books, board games and other forms of entertainment — most of it donated by volunteers — are piled up by the underpass Ventimiglia, Italy.

Many refugees and migrants in Ventimiglia, Italy, live near the river Roya, where they wash clothes and bathe.

Salah Baker Alam, from Darfur in Sudan, is seen in Ventimiglia, Italy. Alam has tried unsuccessfully to cross into France five times, but says he will not give up.

Migrants and refugees have dinner near the underpass in Ventimiglia, Italy. Many wait until nightfall to attempt their crossing in France.